The place where a plant or animal lives is called its habitat.

An adaptation is a feature of a plant or animal that helps them to survive in their habitat.

To survive means to continue to stay alive.

An environment is the surroundings or conditions that an animal or plant lives in.

An animal that catches and eats other animals is a predator.

Animal adaptations

Science

Where fossils are found (non-statutory)

What fossils can tell us about the past

How living things have changed over time

Human skulls: using evidence from the past (non-statutory)

Offspring: similar but not identical

Family trees (non-statutory)

Inherited characteristics

Charles Darwin and finches

Plant adaptations

More about plant adaptations

The survival of the fittest

Evolution: evidence

Evolution: presentation

In this Evolution and inheritance unit, pupils learn that, normally, offspring vary and are not identical to parents. In the Heredity and DNA unit, they will build on this knowledge to learn about how genes and chromosomes work. 

In the New life unit, pupils learnt that animals, including humans have offspring which grow into adults. In this Evolution and Inheritance unit, pupils will build on this knowledge to recognise that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to parents

This unit explores how living things have changed over time, using fossils as evidence of past life. It covers how offspring vary from parents and how adaptation leads to evolution. Emphasis is on planning scientific enquiries, recording data, and evaluating scientific evidence.

Evolution and inheritance

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

The special features that animals have that help them to survive in their habitats are called {{}}.

Which of these adaptations would help an animal to survive in a very cold environment?

Which of these adaptations help animals to stay safe from predators?

Match the animal to the adaptation that helps to protect it from predators.

are passed on from generation to generation.

Adaptations are physical changes that …

Environments can change suddenly and dramatically or slowly over many years.

All changes to environments happen very slowly and take many years.

All changes to environments are very sudden and dramatic.

Which of these statements about environments is correct?

There are many things animals must do to survive, such as finding food and shelter. What does ‘survive’ mean?

A physical characteristic of a plant or animal.

An animal that eats only plants is called a {{}}.

Animal adaptations

Lesson outcome

Content guidance